Wake Forest property owners will begin paying a new Stormwater Utility Fee this summer.
Aimed at maintaining and improving the Town’s stormwater collection system, the new fee will also support a new Stormwater Utility responsible for meeting stricter, unfunded regulations established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ).
Effective July 1, the new fee will be billed annually to all Wake and Franklin County property owners within the Wake Forest corporate limits in conjunction with their respective county tax bills. Exempt properties will be billed annually by the Town.
Wake Forest property owners can learn the amount of their annual fee (based on residential or non-residential rates) by visiting the Town website at https://bit.ly/WFStormwaterUtility, clicking on the Stormwater Utility Fee Information Map, and entering their address in the search bar.
The amount of the payment is based on the size of the impervious area on a given property, such as roofs, driveways, and parking lots – that do not absorb rainfall. Runoff from impervious areas often leads to flooding and increases the burden on the Town’s stormwater collection system. The Stormwater Utility Fee collected from property owners will go into a dedicated fund to pay for operating, maintaining, and improving Wake Forest’s stormwater infrastructure.
The new utility fee rate is set at $44 per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU). The ERU is the billing unit for the stormwater utility and is equivalent to 1,200 square feet, the median impervious area for residential properties within Tier 1.
Single-family property owners with impervious areas that total 0-1,500 square feet (Tier 1) will pay the lowest fee at $44 per year. Tier 2 (1,501-4,700 square feet) will pay $121 per year, while Tier 3 (greater than 4,700 square feet) will pay $231 per year.
The Town will bill non-residential property owners the Tier 1 residential rate. Non-residential property owners can calculate their rate with the following equation:
Total Site Impervious (sf)/1,200 (sf) x $44 = Total Annual Stormwater Utility Fee
In August 2023, a Stormwater Utility Advisory Group recommended the creation of a Stormwater Utility as a means of addressing the stricter, unfunded stormwater regulations under the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit and NPDES regulations created by EPA and NCDEQ. Three months later, in November 2023, the Board of Commissioners adopted the Stormwater Utility Fee to meet the funding needs for the new Stormwater Utility.
Wake Forest residents will soon receive a postcard in the mail with information about the new Stormwater Utility Fee. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/WFStormwaterUtility or email Assistant Stormwater Engineer Nick Nolte at nnolte@wakeforestnc.gov.
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6 Responses
This fee should be an impact fee assessed on development and developers. Seems to me that adding all of these new roofs, as I was once told was a great thing for the tax base, just costs all of us more money. Oh, and of course makes others a lot of money. Time to stop ripping down every square inch of land and plan a little better. Also time to get rid of the mayor for her 20 years of destruction and the town board for not stopping the insanity.
The mayor cannot vote on anything unless there is a tie among the commissioners. That’s the only rare time she votes on any proposal or matter. Even if you disagree with some of her ideas, it’s completely unfair and out of proportion to blame her for “20 years of destruction.” More like 20 years of thankless, underpaid, and consistent dedication to the town and its’ residents (old and new).
I respectfully disagree with you AN – she’s been a constant voice in making Wake Forest bigger with no regard for overdevelopment. She’s a significant, and consistent, part of the problem. Wake Forest is worse today than it was when she became mayor. She’s been the constant voice of development without regard for growth in infrastructure, and certainly without regard for smart and sustainable growth.
Additionally, the mayor’s job is part time and paid as such. The current mayor decided to put herself into positions to make it more than what it is. She’s paid appropriately.
Finally, let’s look at what the town government has created as guidelines for developers and development (mayor and council members). There is no thought about best interest of citizens, only adding more roofs, more people, and making developers more money. Just take a drive around town and find a place where buildings do not destroy open spaces, old neighborhoods, and create more traffic with no improvements for current citizens.
I think it is well known that the Mayor tends to favor development. She absolutely makes her views known on any matter the board votes on but the commissioners are not legally obligated to listen to her. Their allegiance is to the overall well-being of the town & ensure a fair & unbiased decision is made on local issues.
Give NCDOT a call & ask them what they think about our Mayor. They can tell you about her busting in their office without an appointment & putting a few of them in their place. They can’t stand her because she is a tough cookie. You are correct her job is technically part-time according to our charter. However, she works full time & that is her choice. If you call her night or day she picks up. So do several of the surrounding area mayors. To be an effective mayor it requires someone’s full-time attention. Especially in a town with 50k+ residents.
I wholeheartedly understand & can relate to your issue with adding additional dwellings to our area. The local government is between a rock & a hard place when it comes to new development. Property owners have the right to sell their land. Meanwhile, citizens are concerned about affordable housing, tree preservation, & lack of infrastructure.
Most of the roads we complain about are not town owned roads. The town is at the mercy of NCDOT.
The town has made changes to our landscaping ordinances to encourage Bob the Builder & friends to preserve more trees. It appears to be working based on the recent proposals that have appeared before the board. The last plan of S. Allen the developer was well above the required tree canopy count.
The town has developed a true affordable housing plan. Smaller lot sizes & higher densities reduce the cost of dwellings.
It’s about finding a balance & strategically placing higher-density dwellings where they ideally should go. Hawthorn by the del webb community was not a good call. If apartments had to go there it should have included some commercial on the bottom floor. 4 out of 5 of the commisioners who approved that plan are no longer on the board.
I respectfully disagree with the view of the current mayor’s “leadership”. Being a squeaky wheel is a skill, but getting results from the squeak are what counts in the end. Do we see NCDOT doing anything better for Wake Forest from all the squeaking, especially if we are “at the mercy of NCDOT”?
The towns ordinances on development are doing little or nothing to preserve tree canopies for larger scale development. See the clear cutting of the pine forest for Holding Village (south side of NC98) and Averette Rd. For very clear examples of mass destruction of natural resources.
Based on a quick look at Zillow, there is little affordable, regardless of density, in Wake Forest. I use the teacher yardstick for affordable – could a new teacher rent an apartment on their own in town on their salary. The answer is 90+ percent no, being generous. And forget about said teacher ever buying a home in Wake Forest, density or not.
Standing by my opinion we need a change in leadership in Wake Forest.
Concur!